At Home With Natalie Kovarick

Greetings Friends - goodness what a time to be alive. For most of us these past few months have been anything short of challenging. Full of far too many tumultuous and fear ridden moments, but also just as many positive ones too - moments of rest and relaxation and much needed quality time. And while our household members may be the only people we can physically spend time together right now, thanks to Hillary and Haylee and this new series, we now have an opportunity to be together online – to share stories, meet new people, and create a community in a time when community is truly needed.  So thank you ladies.

Meet Natalie

My name is Natalie Kovarik and I’m a proud rancher’s daughter, wife and mother. Having been born a 4th generation rancher, who married a 5th generation rancher, and raising her sons to be 6th generation ranchers, there isn’t much I hold close to my heart than the Agricultural community. I grew up on my family’s registered Hereford operation in SW Montana (not far from Bozeman) and that’s really where my love for Agriculture began. Our ranch was very much so a family business, as most farms and ranches are, and looking back I feel extremely blessed for the childhood I was afforded. It’s something I am actively trying hard to give my children; an upbringing that provides equal amount of opportunities to teach hard work, commitment and responsibility as it does to allow for rest, freedom and fun. While I was originally born and raised in Montana, I currently reside in central Nebraska with my husband Luke and our two boys Tad and Jaks. Together my husband and I own and operate Kovarik Cattle Co., a cow calf operation with a growing registered Angus herd. Part of our ranch borders the Nebraska Sandhills, an extremely intricate and diversified wetland ecosystem known for its lush rolling green hills and numerous lakes and ponds. So while there are times that I do miss those jagged Montana mountains, I have to say the Great Plains of the Midwest has a beauty all its own, and I for one am proud to call it my home.   

What are you reading?

At the beginning of the New Year I started “The Daily Stoic” per recommendation from Lady H herself, and I have to say sitting down to read it has become one of the most sought after moments of my day. I look forward to the readings because they’re extremely short - so you can squeeze them in anytime of the day, yet they’re extremely impactful - often leaving me with food for thought many days beyond the initial reading.

 Another daily reading is my “Daily Skimm” email. For anyone unfamiliar it’s a daily newsletter that covers the most up to date topics and headlines but in verbiage that’s fun to read and easy to understand. It was started by two previous news producers whom I feel do a great job of delivering facts without having to degrade political parties, and its often times laced with a lot of wit and humor which I thoroughly appreciate.

What are you cooking?

I’ve always been a big believer that good food leads to good memories. Edith Schaeffer said, “There is no occasion when meals should become totally unimportant. Meals can be very small indeed, very inexpensive … but they should always be more than just food.” I’m thankful I was raised in a household where the importance of bonding over meal times was stressed. Growing up it was rarity that we didn’t sit down together as a family at the table for both breakfast and dinner, and this is something that I have continued to do with my own family. Most nights you’ll find my husband and I cooking together along with a good playlist blaring in the background. As a ranching family, it wouldn’t be unexpected to find meat on our plate 6 if not 7 nights a week.  Typically my husband prepares the beef leaving me in charge of the sides. I love mixing it up, but when I’m feeling uninspired I always fall back on a roasted vegetable of some sort or a green salad. The trick to a good vegetable is utilizing a cast iron pan for roasting and mixing in other toppings for added flavor. I love pairing cauliflower with walnuts and brussel sprouts with honey crisp apples. And the secret to a good salad really lies in a homemade dressing. I swear by a combo of balsamic vinegar, oil, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper.

What are you wearing?

Living life on the ranch my closet seems to mirror that of my lifestyle: simple and practical. Most days you’ll see me donning a nice pair of jeans paired with a classic v/neck tee. My favorite brand of denim is Mother, Agolde, or a pair vintage Wrangler and Levi’s (shout out to Fawn and Co), but I recently saw a pair of Re/Done denim that I quite literally can’t stop thinking about.

As a ranch wife and mom, I tend to spend a majority of my days outside in the elements. So naturally with age I’ve become quite fond of adding a cute brimmed hat for some much needed sun protection. @stestsonusa has a few styles I will most definitely be adding to my summer wardrobe - the “Four Points Straw Hat” and the “Weltmeyer Straw Hat” to be specific – but I also have my eye on their “The Naturalist Panama Fedora.” It’s not quite the style I would envision for all my ranch duties ha, but I do think it will be very chic selection for all the time I spend in my garden.

On an added note, for anyone who is spending more time at home and looking to invest in some quality loungewear, I just ordered a luxurious slip dress and knit set from @thisisthegreat_ and have been dying to get my hands on some @lunya sets as well.    

Favorite spot in the house?

We currently reside in a quaint little 1912 farmhouse, the same one my husband’s father was raised in. While living in a traditional farm house comes with its perks, like the original wooden floors and an atmosphere that quite literally created the word cozy, it also comes with its disadvantages like ill placed windows and poor natural light. Thus my favorite spot in the house is our living room as it has the biggest windows. So most mornings you’ll find views of cattle grazing with a rising sun behind them and most afternoons you’ll find the heat you are looking for when warm rays transcend the windowpane and warm your heart and soul.

What is your morning ritual?

My husband and I live by the early to bed early to rise motto. You’ll find us tucked in and ready for sleep not long after we tuck our children in which means we often rise before the sun and start our days quite early. It’s a routine that we find lends to more productivity for us, as well as a few extra hours of quiet morning bliss to enjoy as a couple without the distractions of kids. Honestly, there isn’t too much consistency to our mornings. Usually Luke makes breakfast while I do laundry or some other chore that can be done quietly as not to arouse the kids. I have never been a coffee drinker, instead most mornings you’ll find me enjoying hot lemon water in my favorite @Hanselmannpattery mug. Other than that the only other consistent things to my mornings are making my bed, washing my face and then following up with a toning spray – I swear by the lavender complexion mist from @primallypure or the glo regenerative hydrosol from @glo_luxury_oils   

How has this experience changed you?

While none of us are immune to the effects of COVID-19, those of us living in rural communities seem to have had fewer disruptions to our daily routine than those residing in metropolitan areas. Working in Agriculture our days have pretty much stayed the same. Much like before, my husband and I still spend most of our time tending to our animals and caring for our land with little to no outside contact besides that of our immediate family. I do work part-time off the ranch as a pharmacist at our local hospital, so I feel extremely fortunate for my family’s current situation as we still have jobs to report too, a blessing I know not all have at this time. I will say that having my oldest home from school has been selfishly a very rewarding experience. The schools closing seemed to highlight how little time we had with him before as he was always so busy with school and extra-curriculars, and gave me the extra reminder I needed to truly cherish the time we have left with him before he graduates and leaves us one day.

How are you staying connected with friends and family?

Being a Nebraska transplant with all my family back in Montana, I have always relied on technology to stay in touch with loved ones and my husband’s siblings all live in different states as well, so honestly not much has changed for us in that regard. We still see his parents as his dad comes to help on the ranch and his mother occasionally watches our youngest when I work. As far as friends in our community, I never thought the day would come when I would say it, but thank goodness for group text threads ha.

In closing I just want to thank the ladies of FD Café again for allowing me the opportunity to share a small part of myself and my corner of the world with you all. And I would be remorse if I didn’t give a special thank you to all societies’ unsung heroes right now. To all our medical professionals, our scientist and researchers, our grocery store clerks, our truck drivers, our farmers and ranchers, our warehouse workers and so many more, Thank you. To anyone reading who may be in those professions, I hope you know how grateful we are for all you do. And to everyone who is reading this and doing their part to stay home and keep yourselves and your communities safe, thank you for doing that too. We are all in this together and if history has proven anything it’s that we are always stronger when we’re together.

I know it can be hard, but please don’t forget that during this time as much as we have to worry over, we still have so much more to be thankful for. As my good friend Albus Dumbledore once said, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

God Bless & stay safe.

Xo

Natalie K.